Amazon’s Alexa can now replace Google Assistant on the Google Pixel 2

Google Assistant is an early favorite digital assistant for many of us, but there are still a few other compelling options that some users might prefer, especially if they’re entangled in another ecosystem aside from Google’s. For Amazon fans, your day just got a little bit better with Alexa now being an option on Google’s own Pixel 2.

Now for some clarification: this does not fully replace Google Assistant on the device. There’s an option in Android’s settings that will allow you to change what assistant gets called on the long press of the home button, which up until now mostly just meant Google Assistant and Cortana. Alexa has been added to that list, but like Cortana, you’ll only be able to bring her up by pressing the home button. The squeeze gestures and hotword support are reserved explicitly for Google Assistant.

If that’s not a dealbreaker for you, though, this will make your Amazon life way easier. And even though the Google Pixel 2 was the original phone that the story was confirmed with, many users in the sourced Reddit thread have had luck with other devices like the Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8, and there’s even a Sony Xperia user in there. So if you don’t have a Pixel 2, try it out anyway! You might be surprised.

Born in southern Alabama, Jared spends his working time selling phones and his spare time writing about them. The Android enthusiasm started with the original Motorola Droid, but the tech enthusiasm currently covers just about everything. He likes PC gaming, Lenovo's Moto Z line, and a good productivity app.